-LRB- CNN -RRB- It was n't the screech of cannonballs , the thud of grappling hooks or the crack of muskets that most terrified the sailors of the Spanish Armada in the 16th century , but fire .

The English vice-admiral Sir Francis Drake used fire ships -- aging hulks set ablaze and allowed to float freely into the Armada -- to devastating effect , forcing the Spanish ships to break formation .

More than 400 years later , however , and fire is still one of the gravest threats to shipboard life .

Old threat , new technology

Shipboard procedures such as fire drills , on-board alarms and locking fire doors may have gone a long way to mitigating the danger of fire at sea , but the US Navy is looking at new technology to help it battle the threat .

Its latest solution is to send fire-resistant metal men into the smoky , red-hot holds of its fire-stricken warships , throwing fire retarding grenades and assessing damage with a camera that can see through smoke .

Called the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot -LRB- SAFFiR -RRB- , the team at the Office of Naval Research -LRB- ONR -RRB- chose a humanoid-type robot as the best way of negotiating the narrow passageways , ladders and hatches -LRB- all designed for human mobility -RRB- of a modern ship .

`` Every compartment and passageway on a ship is designed for human occupation and mobility , '' Dr Thomas McKenna , ONR program manager for human-robot interaction and cognitive neuroscience , told CNN .

`` There are numerous barriers , like sills , that would block a wheeled robot . In addition , a humanoid robot can use firefighting gear designed for humans , such as protective coats , backpack fire suppressants , hand-held sensors and hose nozzles , '' he said

`` The long-term goal is to keep sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire . ''

Shipboard fires , he said , throw up a different and more urgent set of problems than fires on land .

`` Shipboard fires must be suppressed , whereas in many civilian fires , a building can be considered a loss and the focus might shift to containing the fire to prevent spread , '' he told CNN .

`` On a ship , fire suppression is critical to the survival of the ship and its personnel ; confined spaces , smoke , heat and gases can be a threat to humans . ''

Developed by researchers at Virginia Tech and sponsored by the ONR , the SAFFiR prototype was tested aboard the decommissioned warship USS Shadwell last year and unveiled at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO this month .

Super-human range

SAFFiR stands 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 143 pounds . The unique mechanism design on the robot equips it with super-human range of motion to maneuver in complex spaces .

The team equipped the robot with a suite of sensors that include a camera , a gas sensor and a stereo infrared camera that will allow it to find its way through the choking black smoke that would deter human firefighters .

Its upper body has been designed to manipulate fire suppressing equipment and even to throw propelled extinguishing agent -LRB- PEAT -RRB- grenades . The robot , say developers , can handle a fire hose on its own .

With enough battery power for 30 minutes of firefighting , SAFFiR is capable of walking in all directions , balancing in rough seas , and stepping around obstacles .

`` Balancing on any type of terrain that 's unstable - especially for bipedal robots - is very difficult , '' said Brian Lattimer , associate professor for mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech .

`` Whole-body momentum control allows for the robot to optimize the locations of all of its joints so that it maintains its center of mass on uncertain and unstable surfaces . ''

Robot a team player

While the next generation of the robot will be designed with enhanced intelligence , communications capabilities and extended battery life , Lattimer said the robot would likely always take its orders from a human in a console .

Despite this , the algorithms that are being developed would allow mobility and decision making by the robot as a team member .

`` The robot has the ability to do autonomous tasks , but we have a human in the loop to allow an operator to intervene in any type of task that the robot 's doing , '' he said . `` We 're working toward human-robot teams . It 's what we call the hybrid force : humans and robots working together . ''

McKenna said that ultimately , SAFFiR could be used for a number of shipboard duties that are difficult or onerous for humans to perform .

`` For instance , a bipedal robot could be configured to take shipboard measurements , scan for corrosion and leaks , and identify changes to the shape of the room from its original configuration , '' he said .

`` By taking on these time-consuming tasks , SAFFiR could free up sailors for jobs that more fully take advantage of their training and technical skillsets . ''

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Researchers have developed a robot that could help the US Navy battle shipboard fires

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The robot has been designed in a humanoid shape to negotiate complex environments

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Not only would the robot , called SAFFiR , throw fire retarding grenades but glean information

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Researchers hope the robot will one day help with other difficult and onerous onboard tasks